KIGALI, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Belgium's Remco Evenepoel claimed his third straight world title in the men's elite individual time trial on Sunday, winning gold on the opening day of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.
Evenepoel dominated the 40.6km course, finishing in 49:46.03. Australia's Jay Vine took silver in 51:00.83, while Belgian Ilan Van Wilder earned bronze in 52:22.10.
"I felt pretty good straight away. On the first flat part, my legs were turning well and I managed to hold my pace without going over the limit," Evenepoel said. "The first climb of the day was actually quite hard, along with the last two, so I really pushed it there."
In the women's elite individual time trial, Switzerland's Marlen Reusser struck gold in 43:09.34 over 31.2km. Dutch riders Anna van der Breggen (44:01.23) and Demi Vollering (44:14.07) completed the podium.
"It makes me so happy to achieve this - not only for myself, but also for the whole team around me," Reusser said. "For many years I came very close, always just missing it, and now it finally worked out. I'm really, really happy that my performance was strong today."
The championships opened earlier in the day with a ceremony attended by officials, athletes, and fans. Rwanda is the first African host of the event.
"This is going to be a special week, as we welcome some of the best riders in the world to Kigali," said Rwandan Minister of Sports Nelly Mukazayire. She noted that the championships also feature the women's under-23 road race for the first time.
UCI President David Lappartient praised Rwanda's efforts to bring the event to Africa. "Rwanda is known as the country of a thousand hills, and that means this course is far from flat. It will likely be one of the toughest UCI World Championships ever, but also one of the most vibrant and well-attended," he said.
Races will be broadcast live in 130 countries and regions, reaching millions of viewers worldwide.
The 2025 UCI Road World Championships run in Kigali from September 21 to 28, marking a milestone for cycling on the continent. ■
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